


Ficlet Collection

by seraphina_snape



Series: sera's leverageland scribbles [1]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, BtVS Crossover, Crimes & Criminals, Crossover, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Nightmares, Sentinel AU, TFTF fusion, Team as Family, band au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 14:52:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 74
Words: 13,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2392367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ficlets I've written for Leverageland's Team Thief Team Bang challenge. The ficlets come in a variety of pairings and ratings; see chapter 1 for a list so you can pick which ones to read. All ficlets were written between April 26th and May 2nd of 2013.</p><p>I chose not to attach any warnings to the document; individual warnings for the ficlets are in the masterlist (chapter 1) and the relevant chapter notes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These ficlets were originally posted [here](http://team-thief.livejournal.com/141775.html) \- you can find the rest of the team's ficlets there as well!

  
** Team Thief Team Bang Ficlets **   
**by seraphina_snape**   


Masterlist

Chapter 002: band AU, gen, rated G (prompt: band)  
Chapter 003: tag to The Maltese Falcon Job, gen, rated PG-13 (prompt: alcoholic)  
Chapter 004: Parker gets a dog, gen, rated G (prompt: spiteful)  
Chapter 005: Sophie & shoes, gen, rated G (but can be read as implied Nate/Sophie or pre-Nate/Sophie), rated G (prompt: need)  
Chapter 006: Eliot-centric, gen, rated PG-13 (prompt: pain)  
Chapter 007: Hardison makes a scene, gen, rated PG-13 (prompt: bubble)  
Chapter 008: Hardison is oblivious, Parker/Hardison, rated PG (prompt: weight)  
Chapter 009: band AU, gen, rated G (prompt: instrument) -- this is set in the same band AU as chapter 002  
Chapter 010: Hardison is rocking it to Destiny's Child, gen, rated PG (prompt: independent)  
Chapter 011: Parker-centric, backstory, gen, rated G (prompt: track)  
Chapter 012: Eliot helps Sophie with a problem, gen, rated G (prompt: phobia)  
Chapter 013: Eliot contemplates Nate and alcohol, gen, rated G (prompt: addict) -- tw: alcoholism  
Chapter 014: Nate & Sam at Halloween, gen, rated G (prompt: careen)  
Chapter 015: Eliot thinks about psychics during The Futures Job, gen, rated G (prompt: psychic)  
Chapter 016: Hardison spills orange soda and Parker is a tattle-tale, gen, rated G (prompt: traitor)  
Chapter 017: Sophie is surrounded by immature, uncultured men - and Parker, gen, rated G (prompt: belch)  
Chapter 018: Parker and Eliot have dumpster duty, gen, rated G (prompt: stink)  
Chapter 019: Nate contemplates Parker's life, gen, rated G (prompt: rob)  
Chapter 020: A moment in Parker's past, gen, rated G (prompt: confess)  
Chapter 021: Eliot has trouble forgiving himself for his past, Eliot/Nate, rated PG (prompt: forgive)  
Chapter 022: Hardison improvises, gen, rated PG (prompt: speech)  
Chapter 023: Parker doesn't always understand people but she still tries to do the right thing, gen, rated G (prompt: last wish)  
Chapter 024: Maggie runs into Father Paul, gen, rated G (prompt: angel)  
Chapter 025: Parker thinks they should use the chance to get married when the team is in Las Vegas, Parker/Hardison, rated PG (prompt: elope)  
Chapter 026: Eliot trusts Nate - it's a somewhat shocking revelation for the hitter, gen (but you could read Nate/Eliot into it. maybe), rated G (prompt: blind)  
Chapter 027: The Fords during happier times, Nate/Maggie, rated G (prompt: dream)  
Chapter 028: Hardison has plans regarding The Hobbit, gen, rated G (prompt: journey)  
Chapter 029: Eliot and Parker safe a life, gen, rated PG (prompt: drown) - tw: someone almost drowns  
Chapter 030: Nate and Eliot reconnect after a job, Nate/Eliot, PG-13? (prompt: alive)  
Chapter 031: Nate and Sam come back from trick and treating, Nate/Maggie, PG-13 (prompt: stomach) -- set shortly after chapter 014  
Chapter 032: Nate/Eliot, rated R? (prompt: raw) -- tw: discussion of sex without protection/implied sex without protection  
Chapter 033: Hardison bakes cookies, gen, rated PG-13 (prompt: force)  
Chapter 034: Parker is ready to be strong, gen, rated PG-13 (prompt: power) -- sort of crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
Chapter 035: Eliot is an undercover agent trying to infiltrate Nate's car-jacking crew, gen, rated PG-13 (prompt: drive) -- sort- of-but-not-really a The Fast & The Furious fusion  
Chapter 036: Eliot after a job, gen, rated G (prompt: sore)  
Chapter 037: More Parker & the puppy fluff, gen, rated G (prompt: beg) -- set in the same universe as chapter 004  
Chapter 038: Eliot teaches Parker to fight, gen, rated G (prompt: repeat)  
Chapter 039: Eliot makes a soufflé (well, he tries) and Parker interferes, gen, rated G (prompt: rise)  
Chapter 040: Parker's kids pile on Uncle Alec, gen, rated G (prompt: mercy)  
Chapter 041: Eliot has nightmares, Nate/Eliot, rated PG-13 (prompt: war)  
Chapter 042: Eliot made raspberry chocolate mousse and the rest of the team approves gen, rated G (prompt: race)  
Chapter 043: Hardison wakes up kidnapped, gen, rated PG (prompt: blur)  
Chapter 044: Parker is a hero, gen, rated R (prompt: coercion) -- tw: attempted rape/sexual assault on an OC  
Chapter 045: Eliot knows Parker won't stop stealing just because they're having a baby, Parker/Eliot, rated G (prompt: duty)  
Chapter 046: Hardison and Cha0s' rivalry is still going strong, gen, rated PG (prompt: rivalry)  
Chapter 047: Parker is bothering Eliot, gen, rated G (prompt: weight)  
Chapter 048: Sophie wonders what instrument Nate plays, gen (but maybe Sophie/Nate implied), G (prompt: instrument)  
Chapter 049: 4th of July picnic at the park, gen, rated G (prompt: independent)  
Chapter 050: Eliot is a sentinel and Nate is his guide, gen, rated G (prompt: guide) -- sort of crossover with The Sentinel (3 ficlets)  
Chapter 051: Hardison can track anything, gen, rated G (prompt: track)  
Chapter 052: Hardison discovers that Eliot's place is lacking one vital component, gen, rated G (prompt: lacking)  
Chapter 053: "Damnit, Hardison!", gen, rated PG (prompt: curse)  
Chapter 054: Eliot gets his hair cut and it's distracting Nate, Nate/Eliot, rated G (prompt: haircut)  
Chapter 055: Nate wakes up alone, Nate/Eliot, rated PG-13 (prompt: the morning after)  
Chapter 056: Nate owns a boat, gen, rated G (prompt: sink)  
Chapter 057: Parker is full of surprises, gen, rated G (prompt: dropout)  
Chapter 058: Nate suggests a job that is just a little too big for the others, gen, rated PG (prompt: quit)  
Chapter 059: Sophie grifts, gen, rated G (prompt: aghast)  
Chapter 060: Signing the papers, past Nate/Maggie, rated PG (prompt: divorce)  
Chapter 061: People always forget the 'functioning' part, gen (could be read as Nate/Sophie though), rated G (prompt: function) -- tw: alcoholism  
Chapter 062: Parker's and Hardison's ideas of romance clash considerably, Parker/Hardison, rated G (prompt: lonesome)  
Chapter 063: Fighting over who gets to play the cop/agent, gen, rated G (prompt: station)  
Chapter 064: The team on a con, gen, rated G (prompt: nervous)  
Chapter 065: Hardison is the best tech support in the world (you can take him to Disneyworld as a thank you), gen, rated PG (prompt: eliminate)  
Chapter 066: Sophie goes into labor, Nate/Sophie, rated G (prompt: labor) & Parker and Sophie share a moment, Nate/Sophie, rated G (prompt: birth) -- 2 ficlets  
Chapter 067: Parker on drugs gives Eliot the creeps, gen, rated PG (prompt: medicated) -- set right after The 12 Step Job  
Chapter 068: They know what it's like, Parker/Hardison, rated G (prompt: poor)  
Chapter 069: Hardison ate the sandwich, gen, rated PG-13 (prompt: cranky) -- set right before The Office Job  
Chapter 070: Team briefing, gen, rated G (prompt: breakdown)  
Chapter 071: Nate is drowning in guilt, gen, rated PG-13 (prompt: drown)  
Chapter 072: Parker has a stomach ache, gen, rated PG (prompt: stomach)  
Chapter 073: Hardison does not feel good at all, gen, rated PG (prompt: vomit)  
Chapter 074: Parker is worried, gen, rated PG (prompt: bleeding)

Some of these prompts repeat because we filled the table several times. *g* I've included trigger warnings as well as I could; please let me know if I missed any!


	2. Chapter 2

Prompt: 070. Band  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Notes: Band AU. Parker plays drums, Hardison keyboard and Eliot guitar (he also sings). Nate's their manager and Sophie is his business rival/girlfriend. Their band is called Leverage. *g*

 

"Come on, Parker, we're up in two!" 

"Coming!" Parker fiddled with the ropes to her harness and then dashed off to the side of the stage and began climbing up into the lighting fixtures. Eliot rolled his eyes. They never should have let her start this, but by now it was too late. It was their gimmick. Kiss had painted faces, they had a drummer who jumped down onto the stage during the first song. The fans would be disappointed if she didn't jump. 

"Okay," Nate said over the headset. "Eliot, Hardison: go."

Eliot and Hardison entered the darkened stage. Eliot picked up his guitar and Hardison went over to the keyboard. The first few rows were already screaming. Apparently they'd seen them come on stage. Eliot grinned. He strummed the first few chords to their latest hit single, "Thief Juice". Hardison joined in a few seconds later and Parker jumped down as soon as the lights went on and Eliot started singing. 

The crowd went wild.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: alcoholism

Prompt: 071. Alcoholic  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG-13  
Notes/Warnings: Set right after The Maltese Falcon Job; alcoholism

 

"Anything else we need to know before we operate?" the doctor asked. 

Agent Nevins was already shaking her head no when Sterling said: "He's an alcoholic."

Agent Nevins looked surprised and Sterling only just managed to keep from rolling his eyes. Did nobody read the case files anymore? It was all there in the notes. Every bit of information he had about Nate and his team. Everything from the shoe size down to their preferred cons, their spending habits (Hardison: geekery and designer clothing, as if that would suddenly make him one of the cool kids; Sophie: shoes, buildings, and everything that was just expensive enough to be exclusive; Parker: nothing as far as he could tell, except maybe rope; Eliot: knives and not much else; and Nate himself: he didn't spend money so much as he gave it away to charities), their dating histories. It was all there.

"Thank you, Agent. I'll make a note of it so we can take it into account during his treatment." The doctor smiled flatly. "If anything, jail is going to help him get sober."


	4. Chapter 4

Prompt: 072. Spiteful  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Oh, you spiteful little bugger!" Sophie pushed the dog away and picked up her absolutely ruined pumps. The puppy just blinked up at her, but Sophie wasn't fooled. This was payback for not letting the dog sit on the couch. "PARKER!" 

"WHAT?!" 

Sophie grabbed the soiled pump - carefully, of course, since she didn't want to get dog piddle all over her and the floor - and the puppy and went into the kitchen. "Look at what your dog did!"

Parker clapped her hands. "He didn't pee on the floor? Good puppy. Well done!" 

"No, not well done! He peed in my shoes!"

Parker shrugged. "Well, I guess you should have let him cuddle with you on the couch then."


	5. Chapter 5

Prompt: 073. Need  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"No, Nate, you don't understand! I _need_ these shoes!" 

"They're shoes, Sophie." 

"No." Sophie chuckled condescendingly. "These are the new Louboutin pumps. They aren't just _shoes_."

Sophie didn't say it, but Nate could hear the unspoken "you uncultured peasant" attached to that sentence. He sighed. "Look, Sophie, we're on a job. We don't have time to go shoe shopping. You can come back once we're done."

"But they might be gone then!" 

Nate rolled his eyes. "So fly to Paris and buy them there." 

"Fly to Paris! Do you know how long that's going to take?" Sophie shook her head. "I can just pop into the shop, get the pumps and be out in five minutes." 

"No," Nate said. "I know you. If you go into that shop, we won't see you for the next five _hours_." He took Sophie's arm and led her away from the shop's window. "After the job, Sophie. After." 

Sophie sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

Prompt: 074. Pain  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG-13  
Warnings: ---

 

Eliot was no stranger to pain. His job involved hitting people - _hurting_ people. Some of them were bound to hit back, to hurt him in turn. He'd learned early in life that if you can't take a beating, you can't go around beating others. Don't do unto others and all that. 

Some days he almost welcomed the pain. Physical pain was fleeting. It was a reminder that he was still alive, that he'd done his job. The fact that none of them were dead meant he'd done his job well enough. He'd take a little pain if it meant the others didn't have to.


	7. Chapter 7

Prompt: 075. Bubble  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG-13  
Warnings: ---

 

If there was one thing Hardison was really good at, it was making a scene. So when Nate said "distract him", Hardison went all out. Putting on his best "pissed off" expression, Hardison turned around and raised an eyebrow at their mark who was fiddling with his phone.

"Um, ex-cuse you?" he said in an exaggerated manner.

"Sorry, what?" their mark said, still focused on his phone.

"Did you just touch my butt?" Hardison asked loudly. "You can't just go around invading other people's personal bubbles and touching their private parts!"

"What? I didn't touch you."

"Right, so it was the invisible guy standing between us?" Hardison said, looking around. People were starting to stare. Most of them looked at the mark with disgust. Nice.

"Look here, pal, I didn't touch you, okay?"

"I am not your pal," Hardison said. "And keep your grubby fingers off my behind."

"I didn't--"

"Ah!" Hardison interrupted. "I don't wanna hear it. I'll just go wait for my train over there, where people know to keep their hands to themselves." He turned dramatically and stalked over to the other side of the platform, exchanging a glance with Parker as she brushed past him to plant the fake evidence on the mark. He grinned.


	8. Chapter 8

Prompt: 076. Weight  
Pairing/Rating: Parker/Hardison, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Hardison frowned. "Did you put on some weight, babe?"

There was a moment of silence, then Parker made a hurt noise and jumped out the window and Hardison found the rest of the team glaring at him. "What? What'd I do?"

"You know what you did," Eliot growled. "You don't ask a woman that!"

"Especially if she's... you know," Sophie said.

Eliot nodded. "Exactly!"

"Even I know _that_ ," Nate added, shaking his head at Hardison.

"Wha--? What are you even talking about?"

The others exchanged a glance. "You mean you don't know?" Sophie asked. "Oh dear."

"Right," Eliot said. He grabbed Hardison's arm and dragged him over to the door. "You'd better find Parker and talk to her," he said, pushing Hardison outside.

"And apologize to her!" Nate called after him.

"I can't believe Parker hasn't told him she's pregnant," Eliot said once Hardison had left.

"Don't forget: this is Parker we're talking about," Sophie said. "She's probably still freaking out."

Nate nodded. "Yeah, it's probably best to let those two work it out between them," he said.

There was beat of silence. Then they all started for the door at the same time.


	9. Chapter 9

Prompt: 077. Instrument  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Notes: Set in the same Band AU as Chapter 2.

 

"What made you pick drums as your instrument?" the interviewer asked. "You don't often see female drummers in rock bands."

Parker smiled. Eliot could only tell it was strained because he knew her so well. And because she'd been asked this very question at every single interview so far.

"It fit better," Parker said. "I grew up listening to classic rock - and you know they've got some great drum solos on those records. Then I just went to a music school and asked to try it." Parker shrugged. "Besides, there are some pretty successful female drummers. A lot of them in all female bands, granted, but they do exist."

"But you're in a band with two guys..." the interviewer said. It wasn't even a question, and Eliot was glad it was Parker's turn. He would have no idea what to stay to a stupid comment like that. Except maybe to punch the guy.

Parker shrugged again. "If I wasn't, then who'd be crazy enough to jump down onto the stage every time? These guys clearly need me."


	10. Chapter 10

Prompt: 078. Independent  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Nate opened his apartment door and his jaw nearly hit the floor. Music was blaring out of the speakers Hardison had installed when the team had basically taken over his life again. Hardison had pushed the couch closer to the screens and was dancing in the free spot, singing along to the music.

> "All the women who are independent  
>  Throw your hands up at me"

Nate stared. He couldn't even call it dancing, not really. Hardison was bouncing around, wriggling his butt and flailing his arms about like a three-year-old dancing to their favourite song. Nate couldn't help it: he laughed.

Hardison froze at the sound, his butt sticking out and his arms thrown over his head. "Please don't be there, please don't be there," he sing-songed along with the music. He slowly straightened and turned.

Nate raised his eyebrows.

"What do I need to give you so you never ever mention this to another soul?"

Nate smirked.

Hardison sighed in defeat.


	11. Chapter 11

Prompt: 080. Track  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

In 1999, Parker had helped the Woodhouse High School win the national track and field competition. It wasn't something many people knew about. Hardison had found it weird, mostly because she hadn't even gone to that high school. In fact, she hadn't gone to any high school. She'd been at the track to steal stuff - national competition meant lots of visitors meant lots of cool stuff to steal. But it had been colder than expected, so one of the things she'd stolen had been a jacket. It happened to be a team jacket. One of the judges had found her wandering the field and steered her to the starting blocks. They'd told her to run and it had seemed like fun, so why not? Parker had won and even though the coach and the other runners had stared at her in confusion, they hadn't protested when the judge had handed them the trophy. Parker didn't care is it was weird. She still liked running, and more often than not, it came in handy to be quick on her feet. Especially in her line of work.


	12. Chapter 12

Prompt: 001. Phobia  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Really, Sophie? REALLY?!" 

Sophie glared at him. "You didn't have to come," she pointed out. 

Eliot gave her a look that said "yeah right" and crossed his arms. "Really? A spider? A stupid, tiny little spider?" 

Sophie shuddered. "It's not tiny! It's big and hairy and has eight eyes AND IT'S WATCHING ME!"

Eliot's lips twitched. 

"Oh, don't you laugh at me," Sophie grumbled. "Just kill the spider and I won't tell Nate who really spilled coffee on his Oliver Twist collector's edition."

Eliot made an annoyed sound, but he did kill the spider and got rid of it. Not, however, before showing Sophie the squished remains and watching her flail.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: alcoholism

Prompt: 002. Addict  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: Alcoholism

 

It didn't matter what Nate did when he was sober. The man was an addict - a drunk - plain and simple, and even sober he was a liability, always looking for the next drink. 

Eliot knew all that, and yet... And yet he looked up to Nate, trusted Nate to have his back - to have all their backs - and get them through a job safely. Part of that was _his_ job, granted, but he mostly made sure everyone stayed in one piece if things got out of hand or if the plan actually called for him to beat somebody up. And he still trusted Nate.


	14. Chapter 14

Prompt: 007. Careen  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Come on, buddy, let me see your costume!" Nate called.

"Coming, Dad!" Sam shouted back. A second later, there was the sound of footsteps racing down the stairs. 

"Don't run on the stairs!" Nate yelled. "You'll break something!" 

"Sorry," Sam said, careening around the corner in his Superman costume, his red cape flying behind him. He launched himself at Nate and Nate caught him mid-flight, his heart going a hundred miles a minute. One of these days, Sam would really hurt himself and Nate would probably have a heart attack. Nate pushed those thoughts aside and focused on his kid.

"Wow, look at you! Best Superman ever!" 

"I know!" Sam cried. "But Dad! Your costume, where is it?" 

"I'm wearing it," Nate said. "Look!" He picked up the chauffeur's hat and put it on. Together with his dark suit and the driving gloves, he made a convincing limo driver."I'm a chauffeur. And I have the best job in the world because tonight, I'm driving _Superman_ around in _my_ car."


	15. Chapter 15

Prompt: 007. Psychic  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

Eliot used to love those psychic shows on the TV. 

He knew they weren't _real_ psychics - he's not an idiot, okay? - but they were fun to watch. Especially when they were wrong about something and backpedaled so fast you could almost see them take a step back. 

Watching Nate and Hardison rig everything up so that Tara could be their "real" fake psychic took a lot of the mystery away though. It just didn't have the same entertainment value if you knew _how_ they did it.

Eliot sighed and switched the channel. Looks like he'd have to find a new thing to watch when he didn't feel like working out or cooking in between jobs.


	16. Chapter 16

Prompt: 013. Traitor  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Whatcha doin'?" 

"Gahh!" Hardison jumped and spilled a little bit of bleach on his jeans. "Oh, nice. Thanks a lot, Parker."

Parker peered over his shoulder and into the sink. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Nothing." 

"That doesn't look like nothing," Parker said. "It actually looks a lot like you're pouring bleach over Sophie new blouse. The one she was showing off at dinner yesterday." 

"Does it? I hadn't noticed," Hardison said and kept scrubbing. 

"Why is there an ugly brown stain on it?" Parker asked, poking him in the side. 

"Because someone - I don't know who - spilled orange soda on it?"

"Ooh, Sophie's gonna--oops." 

Hardison didn't even need to turn around to know Sophie had just stepped into the kitchen. The icy feeling across the back of his neck was evidence enough. 

"I didn't do it!" Parker pointed at him. "Hardison did it!"

Hardison glared at her. "Traitor!"


	17. Chapter 17

Prompt: 019. Belch  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

Sophie sighed as Nate's apartment door came into view. After the day she'd had, all she wanted was to put her feet up and relax with a good glass of dark red wine. And maybe make Eliot cook something nice for dinner. 

What she got instead when she opened the door was Hardison and Eliot engaged in a belching competition, with Parker acting as judge. 

With a heavy sigh, Sophie slumped back against the door and closed her eyes. And then, right when she found her inner zen, one of the boys let out a particularly disgusting, loud belch and Parker cheered. 

Sophie groaned.


	18. Chapter 18

Prompt: 020. Stink  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"How come I get dumpster duty _again_?" Eliot asked, knee-deep in kitchen trash. "This is disgusting."

"Tell me about it," Parker groused, her face pulling into a grimace at finding yet another used condom. "Couldn't it at least be rich people trash? At least them you might find something interesting. Like info about their security."

"We're the good guys now," Eliot reminded her.

"Duh," Parker said. "Like I don't know that. But there's no harm in _planning_ a heist."

"Unless the cops catch you at it," Eliot argued.

" _Please._ " Parker scoffed and sliced open another trash bag for them to sift through. "Like I've ever been caught."


	19. Chapter 19

Prompt: 031. Rob  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Sometimes it almost hurt Nate to look at Parker. When they'd met, she'd been nearly out of control - a danger to herself and others. The team had given her something that balanced her, brought out her good sides. Nate couldn't help but see the dark side of it, too. All the victims, the horrible things people did to each other. Parker's knowledge of that had always been abstract. Even her own experiences as a child didn't seem to have an impact on that, as if she kept them locked away in a box. She knew people did bad things to each other, but she'd never before had to listen to someone describe their own personal hell to her. Parker's life had, despite everything, been remarkably sheltered.

Maybe Nate had been a thief long before he admitted it to himself. And one of the first things he'd stolen had been Parker's innocence.


	20. Chapter 20

Prompt: 032. Confess  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Just admit you did it and you can all go home!" Miss Darkweather said. She looked down the row of third-graders, her gaze lingering on Parker. 

"Parker did it!" Bradley blurted.

Miss Darkweather looked at him, then her attention was back on Parker. "Is that true, Parker? Did you break the window to Miss Redding's office?" 

Parker shook her head, but Miss Darkweather didn't believe her. 

"Why did you do that, Parker?" 

Parker shrugged. Miss Redding had taken Bunny because Parker hadn't been paying attention in history. But history was stupid. School didn't teach you any of the things you _really_ needed, like how to find the best hiding spots if your foster dad was in a bad mood, or where the shops with the best escape routes were when she had to steal food. 

Miss Darkweather sighed. "You know I have to give you detention for this, and that the principal will want to talk to your parents?" 

Parker shrugged again. They weren't even her real parents - they didn't care.


	21. Chapter 21

Prompt: 033. Forgive  
Pairing/Rating: Eliot/Nate, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"You're quiet today."

Eliot looked up at Nate. "Yeah, 'cause I'm usually such a chatterbox."

Nate's expression said that he had to concede the point. "You're quieter than usual."

Eliot shrugged. "Didn't sleep too well."

"I noticed."

"I didn't mean to wake you." 

"It's fine," Nate waved him off. "You know me. I don't sleep much." 

Nate nudged Eliot's shoulder until Eliot sat up on the sofa to make room for Nate beside him. 

"Wanna talk about it?" 

"No." 

Nate nodded. 

"Just-- Moreau--I--" Eliot broke off and sighed in frustration.

"You know," Nate said after a long moment of silence, "we all forgave you for that a while ago. The one who still hasn't forgiven you for what you did under Moreau is yourself." 

"You don't know what I did, Nate." 

"I can imagine--"

"You really can't." 

"Maybe not," Nate agreed. "But I don't need to know what you did to know who you are."


	22. Chapter 22

Prompt: 041. Speech  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"Do something, Hardison! Distract them. Stall them!" 

Hardison glared at the floor. "And how am I supposed to do that?" he whispered, smiling at the few people who turned around to see him whisper at nothing. 

"I don't care. But we can't have the FBI storming this place for at least six more minutes!" 

"Great. Awesome. Just perfect." Hardison took a fortifying breath and stood up. "Todd, my man. Do you think we have a minute or two? I got something to say."

#

"...We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on, we're going to survive." Hardison took a deep breath and nodded. Half the agents in the crowd were moved, nodding along. The other half was staring at him like he'd just quoted the speech from Independence Day. Which he had. With a bit of editing. He gave a fake sniff. "Anyway, I know we'll do our best, and tonight, we'll celebrate our victory over the cartel!"

"Okay, Hardison. We're clear," Nate said over the comm.

"Oh, hallelujah," Hardison muttered. Louder, he added, "All right, folks. Let's kick some drug dealer ass!"


	23. Chapter 23

Prompt: 042. Last Wish  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

Parker slipped into the booth next to Nate. The client, in the middle of her story, looked at Parker, but took her cue from Nate and ignored her.

"And when my mother died last month, my husband and I found her supposed last will." The client shook her head. "She'd left everything to that man!" 

Parker wasn't really sure what about that distressed the woman so much: that her mother was dead or that she didn't get the money. Both perfectly acceptable, although Parker probably would have cared more about the money. 

Parker missed what Nate said next, but the client suddenly looked angry. Or sad. Parker couldn't always tell the difference. 

"It wasn't even supposed to go to me," the client said. "You see, my mother was adopted. She was lucky and came to a good couple who loved her and treated her like their own daughter. But there are so many children out there who aren't so lucky. It was my mother's last wish that her money should go to a charity for orphans." The client sniffed into her handkerchief. "That man took advantage of a sick old woman and I bet she wasn't the only one. Can you help me?" 

Parker looked at Nate. If he didn't - she would.


	24. Chapter 24

Prompt: 043. Angel  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Maggie! I haven't seen you in a while." 

Maggie smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Paul. I didn't feel like--"

Paul waved her off. "I understand."

Maggie sighed. "I think I might come to mass on Sunday."

Paul nodded. "If you feel ready for that." 

"I do. I think." Maggie shook her head. "I mean, I'm still angry. And I feel... almost betrayed? I don't know if that's the right word for it." 

"You have every right to feel however you want to," Paul said. "I'm not going to tell you that God moves in mysterious ways and that everything has a reason. To be honest, I don't always see a reason for all the bad things that happen to people."

"Then how can you still do this job?" 

"Because I have faith. I believe that there is a reason, even if it's not one that I can see or detect."

"Do you think he's watching over us?"

"I do. I believe that wherever he is, Sam is holding his hand over you and Nate like a guardian angel, and he'll be waiting for you when it's your time to go."

Maggie nodded, her eyes shining bright. "Thank you." 

Paul smiled. "Let's pray." 

They bowed their heads.


	25. Chapter 25

Prompt: 044. Elope  
Pairing/Rating: Parker/Hardison, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"Let's just do it!" 

"Parker, we can't just--" Hardison broke off and glanced around. His voice lowered considerably, he continued. "We can't just get married. That's not how it works." 

Parker frowned. "Yes, it is. Two people meet, they like each other, they date, they fall in love, they get married. That's totally how it works." 

Hardison had to concede the point. That was, kind of, how it worked. "We can't get married in Vegas!" 

"But there's a million churches and other places where you can get married!" Parker argued. "You can have Elvis as your minister!" 

"Yeah, Parker, that's not actually a point in favor of this, okay? I'm not getting married to you by some overweight Elvis in an ugly ass, skin-tight costume in freaking Las Vegas, okay?!"

Parker's face fell. "You could have just said no." 

Hardison sighed. "I'm not saying no. I'm just saying I want something more special." 

Parker perked up. "There is one chapel that does a Star Trek theme."

Hardison opened his mouth, then closed it again. He imagined Parker in a Uhura costume. "What the hell, let's do it!"


	26. Chapter 26

Prompt: 045. Blind  
Pairing/Rating: gen (maybe you can find a teeny tiny bit of implied pre-Nate/Eliot); G  
Warnings: ---

 

The first time Eliot realized he blindly trusted Nathan Ford, he had finished the job, driven home, packed a bag and sat in his truck all night. Part of him had wanted to leave - leave the team, leave the town, leave the state. Hell, leave the country entirely! He could work in the Middle East for a bit, maybe branch out to Africa. 

Instead he'd watched the sun rise between the buildings ahead and thought about Parker's crazy yet endearing behavior, Sophie's caring yet devious nature and Hardison's geekisms and his friendship. And Nate. Nate Ford: inspiring, infuriating, incalculable. 

Ultimately Eliot wasn't sure what made him stay. All he knew was that he trusted Nate to make it work.


	27. Chapter 27

Prompt: 046. Dream  
Pairing/Rating: Maggie/Nate, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"Sam, be careful on the slide." Nate looked up. "Are you sure you can go on your own?" 

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dad! I'm nine--"

"Eight," Nate corrected.

"--nearly nine years old," Sam went on without pause. "I can go up some stairs and slide down a water slide." 

Maggie laughed from where she was spread out on the blanket, worshiping the warm May sun. "You're overbearing, Nate. Let him have fun with his friends." 

"Yeah, Dad."

"Fine. Go. Have fun!" Nate watched Sam run off and settled down on the blanket beside Maggie. 

"You worry too much," Maggie murmured. She sat up and handed him the sunscreen. "I'll let you get my back if you stop worrying." 

Nate laughed. "All right. How could I argue with that?"


	28. Chapter 28

Prompt: 047. Journey  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

Hardison had it all set up: fresh popcorn, two bottles of orange soda, some chocolate and candy and his comfy chair in front of the wall of screens. Picking up the remote, he settled back in his chair and hit play. 

Not two minutes later, while Bilbo was still narrating the intro, the door burst open and the lights were switched on. 

Hardison hit the pause button, took one look at Nate and shook his head. "No." 

"Wha--"

"I told you I had today off. I have plans, okay?" Hardison crossed his arms. "This is my place. And I want you out. No one is allowed in here tonight." 

Of course that was when the door burst open and Parker and Eliot stormed in, their clothes ripped and their faces coated in dirt. 

"Hardison, we need--"

"No!" Hardison shook his head. "Nuh-uh. I told y'all I have the night off. I got plans. Important plans." 

Eliot glanced at the wall of screens. "Right. That Dwarfworld Journey movie." 

"Unexpected Journey," Hardison corrected.

"This is more important," Eliot said.

"It's The Hobbit," Hardison pointed out. "Very few things are more important than that."

Eliot glared at him. "Oh, yeah? How about a bunch of guys with guns who want to kill us? Is that more important?" 

"I saw you two hours ago and everything was fine. How did you manage to get chased by the mob or whoever in two hours? Why is this my life?" Hardison sighed and switched off the BluRay player.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: someone almost drowns

Prompt: 048. Drown  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: someone almost drowns

 

"Eliot!" Parker shouted. She took off running and Eliot was about to yell at her for running off in the middle of a job - again - when he saw what had set her off. Instantly, he took off after her. 

Parker reached the quayside before him. The little girl standing on the edge of the quay clutched at Parker, tears streaming down her face. Parker looked up and made eye contact with him. She nodded at the water. 

Eliot pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and put it in his jacket pocket alongside his keys. He shrugged out of the jacket and tossed it at Parker before diving into the water. He found the boy almost immediately, but the ice cold water and the heavy winter coat the boy was wearing made it hard to get a good grip on him. Somehow, Eliot managed to curl a hand in his coat and dragged the boy over to the ladder. Parker was already on the phone, calling an ambulance, and a few dock workers, attracted by the hubbub, helped him get the boy onto land. 

No pulse, and he wasn't breathing. Eliot started doing compressions. "Parker! I need you." 

Parker handed the wailing girl off to one of the bystanders and knelt down next to him. "Like we practiced?" she asked. 

"Exactly like that," Eliot said, mentally counting compressions. "Now." 

Parker bent down. "Not breathing." 

Eliot continued the compressions. "Next time, you breathe for him." 

Parker nodded. 

The repeated the procedure four time before the boy coughed up water and then continued to cough and gasp for air. The crowd around them cheered.


	30. Chapter 30

Prompt: 049. Alive  
Pairing/Rating: Nate/Eliot; PG-13  
Warnings: ---

 

They were pulling at each others' clothes before they even reached the bedroom, exchanging frantic kisses as they tried to navigate the stairs without letting go of each other.

They didn't speak - not that they usually spoke much - as they tore off their shirts and pants, underwear, shoes and socks. 

Eliot watched as Nate ran his eyes over him, inspecting his lover for new blemishes and possible scars. He was used to it by now - Nate did this after every job. Although not every job ended quite as explosive as their latest one. 

"I'm fine," Eliot murmured. He pressed Nate's hand to his ribcage over his heart. "Still beating strong, Nate. I'm not gonna leave you."

Nate let out a shuddering breath and relaxed against him. "See that you don't, okay?"


	31. Chapter 31

Prompt: 050. Stomach  
Pairing/Rating: Nate/Maggie, PG-13  
Warnings: ---

 

"Did you two have fun?" 

Sam nodded enthusiastically and then pulled a face when Nate leaned over and gave Maggie a kiss. "Tommy was Superman, too, but his costume wasn't as nice and he had blue boots! Blue boots, Mom! Superman doesn't wear blue boots!" 

"Uh-huh." 

"And guess what?" 

"What?" 

"I got _tons_ of candy and Dad let me have some in the car and--"

"That was supposed to be our secret, Sammy," Nate said. 

"Sorry." 

Maggie raised her eyebrows at Nate. 

"Yeah. Sorry," Nate said. 

"All right, but only because it's Halloween," Maggie said. "Sam, why don't you go upstairs and change into your pjs and get ready for bed?" 

"But Mom! My candy!" 

"If I know your father, you already had more than enough candy for tonight. If you eat any more, you'll get a stomach ache and your dad and I will have to eat all the rest of the candy because you'll be too sick to eat it." Maggie took his bag of candy. "But if you get ready for bed now, you can have one more candy bar before bedtime." 

"Okay!" Sam said and rushed off to get ready. 

"And don't run on the stairs!" Maggie called after him. "And as for you, Mister," she said to Nate. "I'll have to think of a way to punish you." 

Nate smirked. "Looking forward to it."


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: discussion of sex without protection/implied sex without protection

Prompt: 051. Raw  
Pairing/Rating: Nate/Eliot, R  
Warnings: Discussion of sex without protection/implied sex without protection

 

Eliot broke the kiss and reached for the bedside table, getting the lube and a condom. 

Nate took the jar of lube but hesitated to take the condom. He looked at Eliot. "Let's... not." 

Eliot raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?" 

Nate nodded. "I haven't been with anyone but you since Maggie... and she was the only one that I slept with without protection. And I know you go to the clinic regularly." 

Eliot shrugged. "Job like mine, you bleed a lot. It's always a good idea to be careful." 

"Better safe than sorry," Nate agreed. "But since we're both clean..."


	33. Chapter 33

Prompt: 052. Force  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG-13?  
Warnings: ---

 

"What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?" 

Hardison froze, hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar. He turned around slowly. "Technically, it's my kitchen." 

Eliot raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, it's my kitchen on paper," Hardison backpedaled, "but you're the one who's cooking in it and if you're not the one cooking in it, you're the one who has to approve of them being in here." 

Eliot nodded. "That's right. And I can't remember giving you my approval. In fact, I think I said: 'Hardison, you so much as step foot in that kitchen, the next balls I'll skin will be yours.'"

Hardison shuddered at the memory of Eliot's famous fried bull's balls. The pub's customers seemed to love them, but Hardison could not get over the fact that they were eating testicles.

"Technically," Hardison said, "I was not cooking but baking. I am not cooking in your kitchen." Hardison stared at Eliot. He'd been taking lessons from Sophie in neuro-linguistic programming and verbal suggestion.

After two minutes, Eliot threw his hands in the air and shouted: "You're not a freakin' Jedi and you can't use the Force on me, okay? So quit staring and help me straighten up this kitchen!"

Ten minutes later, Hardison was scrubbing burnt TARDIS-shaped cookies off a baking sheet, but he counted it as a win. After all, Eliot had blinked first.


	34. Chapter 34

Prompt: 053. Power  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG-13?  
Warnings: ---  
Notes: Crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This shifts the timeline of Buffy so that the events of Chosen happen during Leverage's 3rd season.

 

It was early May when Parker first started talking about super powers. She burst into Nate's apartment/their headquarters and started talking a mile a minute about dreams and voices and a warm glow engulfing her. Up until that point Sophie has been prepared to have a very awkward conversation about sex dreams with Parker. But then Parker had continued on about super powers and being _chosen_ for ... killing demons, apparently. 

Nate, short-tempered as always in the morning, had told her to go away and come back when she was making sense. Parker had left, but the next day she's started talking about superpowers again. 

It wasn't until a week later when Parker slayed a vampire after hours in the dark bar downstairs that they started to believe her.


	35. Chapter 35

Prompt: 054. Drive  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG-13?  
Warnings: ---  
Notes: The Fast & The Furious AU/Fusion

 

Nate watched as Eliot raced past in his red Mustang, leaving his three opponents eating dust. 

"Not bad," Hardison said from beside him. "But I still don't like the guy."

"You said his record checks out," Nate reminded him. 

"Yeah." Hardison shrugged. "I don't know. Feels off, somehow. Too perfect. Like he was made to fit into this crew, you know?" 

"Hmm." Nate watched Eliot's brake lights flash red after he crossed the finish line. "So you're saying not to bring him in?" 

Hardison nodded. "Sophie agrees with me." 

"And Parker?" 

"You know Parker. She doesn't care as long as she's getting paid." 

"It's my call," Nate said. "And I say he's in. He did save my ass from those cops the other night." 

"Unless that was a set-up and Eliot's really a cop," Hardsion said. 

"I guess that's a chance we'll have to take," Nate said. He tossed Hardison his keys. "Here, take my baby home. I'm catching a ride with Spencer."


	36. Chapter 36

Prompt: 055. Sore  
Pairing/Rating: PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Eliot woke up sore. 

He sat up in bed and groaned, feeling the way the muscles in his legs seized up a bit. When he out to turn off the alarm on his bedside table, his shoulders ached and pinched. 

Carefully, so as not to strain his aching muscles, Eliot headed into the bathroom and started the shower. He opened the cabinet over the sink and took out a bottle of Aspirin. He swallowed two tablets with a little water from the tap and then shrugged off his clothes, stepping under the hot spray of the shower with a sigh of relief.

Next time we need someone to go undercover as an athlete, Parker can do it, Eliot thought. He was getting too old for this shit anyway.


	37. Chapter 37

Prompt: 056. Beg  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Parker!" 

"What?" Parker asked, lips setting into a pout.

"Don't feed him from the table!" 

"But he's hungry!" 

"No, he's not. He's just begging for scraps. He had a full meal earlier." 

"But--" Parker reached down to pick up the puppy. She held him up and looked at Eliot accusingly. "Look at his eyes!" 

The puppy squirmed in Parker's arms, his legs flailing and his nose twitching. Then he blinked sleepily and yawned, looking absolutely adorable. 

Eliot sighed. "You're not keeping the dog."

"But they just left him there. He needs someone to take care of him!"

"Let me ask you something: who takes care of you?" 

"You do." 

"Exactly!"


	38. Chapter 38

Prompt: 057. Repeat  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Again," Eliot said. 

Parker let out a deep breath, squared her shoulders and punched the punching bag.

"Again." 

Parker hit the bag. 

"Watch your wrists," Eliot said, tapping one of Parker's wrists lightly. He nodded at the bag. "Again." 

Parker moved to punch the bag again, but Eliot stepped up behind her and gave her a small shove between the shoulder blades. 

Unlike Hardison, who had flailed and shouted when Eliot had tried this trick on him, Parker had great muscle control and body awareness. She only needed a small step forward to get her balance back. And instead of shouting, she turned her head and glared at him.

"I said, hit it again," Eliot said. "Be focused, but don't tune out your surroundings. Be aware of what's happening around you."

Parker nodded and went back to punching the bag. 

"Hey, Eliot?" 

"Yeah?" 

"You try this with Hardison?" Parker asked. Eliot could hear the grin in her voice. 

Eliot laughed.


	39. Chapter 39

Prompt: 058. Rise  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

Parker bounced into the kitchen. Most likely drawn in by the smells, Eliot thought. Parker was usually the first to appear whenever he was in the kitchen.

She clapped her hands. "Oooh, what are you baking? Is it a cake?" 

"I'm not baking cake," Eliot said. "It's a soufflé." 

Parker bent down and looked into the oven. "Why is it all poofy?" 

"Because." Eliot gave the counter one last wipe and threw the rag into the sink. "Ah! Don't touch that!" 

Parker froze, hand already on the oven door handle. She rolled her eyes. "But I want to see! The glass is all sweaty and cloudy!"

"You'll live," Eliot said. "Don't you dare ruin this dessert!"

Parker narrowed her eyes. 

Eliot squared his shoulders. 

"Parker!"


	40. Chapter 40

Prompt: 059. Mercy  
Pairing/Rating: G  
Warnings: ---

 

Parker watched with a delighted expression as her two kids piled on top of Hardison and started tickling him. Every time Hardison managed to capture one or two of the hands tickling him, the other two managed to find their way to his ribcage and make him lose his hold again. Hardison tried, but there was only so much he could do without hurting either of the children.

"Uncle!" Hardison cried. "I give up! Let Uncle Alec sit up, okay?" 

Kim and Jo exchanged a look. Kim shook her head slightly. 

"No mercy!" Jo declared. 

With a war cry, they started tickling Hardison again. 

Hardison, between bouts of laughter, reached out for Parker. "Help me!" he gasped pathetically. 

Parker snorted and reached for her camera.


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: implied PTSD/war flashbacks/nightmares

Prompt: 060. War  
Pairing/Rating: Nate/Eliot, PG-13  
Warnings: ---

 

When they first started this... relationship, Nate supposed you could say, he hadn't thought it strange that Eliot never stayed the night or invited him to stay the night at Eliot's place. It was a new relationship, they were trying to wrangle working together and sleeping together, they were trying to keep it from the team... All valid excuses. Nate never would have thought that the real reason Eliot avoided staying overnight was nightmares. When he found out, he told Eliot it didn't matter. He had his own share of nightmares, waking up with the tears on his face and the sounds of hospital in his ears.


	42. Chapter 42

Prompt: 061. Race  
Pairing/Rating: G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Whoa! Hold it, you two!" 

Parker and Hardison froze in their steps. 

"Where's the fire?" Nate asked. "Usually you at least wait until I've finished a sentence before you run off." 

Parker and Hardison exchanged a look. 

"Sorry," Hardison said. "we're just going to the kitchen." 

"Eliot said he'd make his raspberry chocolate mousse thing again," Parker added. 

Nate perked up. "Really? I love that stuff." 

"Uh-huh. We were just--" 

"--trying to get the biggest serving possible," Nate guessed. 

Parker nodded. 

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Nate asked. "Let's go have dessert for dinner." 

Parker grinned up at Hardison. "Race you?" She took off without waiting for a response, and Nate watched Hardison flail for a moment before tearing after Parker. He looked over to Sophie. "You coming?" 

"Naturally. No one in their right mind would pass up Eliot's delicious raspberry chocolate mousse."


	43. Chapter 43

Prompt: 062. Blur  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Hardison woke up and groaned. He felt terrible. Everything hurt. Not to mention that the concrete floor wasn't really the most comfort-- concrete floor? 

Hardison cracked an eye open. He was in a small room with bare stone walls and a concrete floor. He blinked, but the image didn't change. 

He couldn't remember a thing from the night before. In fact, the whole afternoon was a blur as well. They must have drugged him and brought him to this ...cell while he was unconscious. 

Hardison checked his pockets. Empty. His ear bud was gone, too. Awesome. 

_You'd better come and get me,_ Hardison thought. He didn't really doubt the team, but the concrete floor was cold and hard and he's really rather sleep this hangover off in his own bed.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: implied attempted rape/sexual assault of an OFC

Prompt: 063. Coercion  
Pairing/Rating: gen, R  
Warnings: Implied attempted rape/sexual assault (not one of the main characters).

 

"Parker? Where are you?" Nate asked over the comms. "You need to get ready for your part of the con." 

Parker ignored him. She raised her fists, keeping her wrists straight, just like Eliot had shown her.

"Oooh, little lady wants to fight," the guy in front of her said. "Just go away, girl, and you won't get hurt." 

"No. You leave the girl here and no one gets hurt." 

"Look, this is my girlfriend, okay? I'm just taking her home to sleep it off." 

"Uh-huh. What's her name?" 

"Jenny," the guy answered, rolling his eyes.

"What's her last name?" 

"Conrad."

The answer came quickly, but Parker knew it was wrong. "Really? How weird that her license says Wellington." She held up the girl's driver's license. "Now get into your car and leave." 

"Or what? You'll call the cops?" The guy chuckled. "Look around. "There's no one here - in this dark, empty parking lot - but us." 

Parker put her hands in her pocket and shrugged. "Well, there's me, Jenny, and this." She took out her tazer and shot him, holding the trigger down until she was sure it'd hurt a lot in the morning.

She tapped her earbud. "Nate? Sorry about earlier. Can you send Hardison and Eliot down? I have some trash they need to take care of down in the back parking lot."


	45. Chapter 45

Prompt: 064. Duty  
Pairing/Rating: Parker/Eliot, G  
Warnings: ---

 

When Parker told him she was pregnant, Eliot briefly thought about retiring. Stop the jobs, buy a big house somewhere in the countryside and live the American Dream with her. Of course Parker would never consider retirement. She was a thief through and through - just because she was on the side of the angels now didn't mean much. She'd been stealing stuff for as far back as she could remember and she loved it like not much else - it wasn't fair to expect her to stop just like that. They'd slow down a little, maybe. Find a steady place that no one else knew about. Figure out how to raise a kid while doing cons. They'd have to be careful, and Eliot didn't want his kid growing up with absent parents or without the right set of morals. It was his duty as a father, their duty as parents, to make sure the kid had what he or she needed to survive in the world. And as long as they loved him or her, what did it matter if the kid knew a little too much about picking locks and breaking noses?


	46. Chapter 46

Prompt: 065. Rivalry  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG   
Warnings: ---

 

Hardison hit enter to start the presentation, but instead of his carefully put together case file, the wall of screens only showed nonsense. Every line of text had been replaced by "Hardison sucks" and every image had been replaced by an unflattering surveillance shot of him. 

"That little bastard!" Hardison said, forcefully tapping on the keyboard. "I'm gonna show him. You just wait, Cha0s. This isn't over!" 

Nate raised his eyebrows. "Hasn't this little rivalry between you two gone on long enough? I mean, even Sophie is okay with the guy and he tried to kill her once." 

"Twice," Sophie muttered. "And I wouldn't say I'm 'okay' with the little weasel." 

"The point is," Nate said, "that we don't have time for this. If you two can't settle this, I'll settle it for you. If you want to continue to behave like children, fine," he said sternly. "But you can bet it's going to end with you two forced to shake hands and make nice."


	47. Chapter 47

Prompt: 076. Weight  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

Eliot threw his jacket onto the couch and was about to sink down next to it when he noticed it. There was a cushion on the couch. Usually that wouldn't be much of a concern, but this one had a wire leading off to the side. 

Carefully, Eliot inspected the cushion. It didn't look like an explosive device, but Cha0s had managed to hide a bomb in a vase. He couldn't be certain, so Eliot followed the wire. It lead over to the window. In case opening the window triggered something, Eliot stood to the side of it and looked out. 

Parker was dangling outside the window, holding an iPad. 

Eliot sighed. He knocked on the glass. Parker jumped. 

Eliot waved for her to come inside. "What's going on, Parker?" he asked when she climbed in. He took the iPad off of her and looked at the screen. 

"Really? _Really?!_ You rigged this up to get my weight?" 

"Well, what if you have to rappel down a building? I have to make sure it's safe!" 

"No," Eliot said. "No, you don't. Because I have no intention of rappelling down _anywhere_. Go annoy Hardison!"


	48. Chapter 48

Prompt: 077. Instrument  
Pairing/Rating: gen (but maybe Sophie/Nate implied), G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Hmm." 

"What is it?" 

Sophie shook her head. "Nothing."

Nate sighed internally. Whenever Sophie said it was nothing, it was always something. Hopefully, this time it wouldn't be something big. At least they were alone in his apartment and not in the middle of a con. "But?" he prodded. 

"Well. Eliot plays guitar and he sings. Hardison plays the violin. I can play the clarinet," Sophie said. "Do you play any instruments?" 

Nate grinned. "Why don't you guess?" 

"Piano. No, wait, too obvious. Harp?" Sophie mimed a harp player picking at the strings.

Nate laughed. "Where would I have learned that? No, I play the harmonica. Quite good, actually. My dad used to make me perform at the pub sometimes."

"Hey, you know what? We could form a band. All of us play an instrument. Well, all except Parker." 

"I can play an instrument," Parker said from above them. 

Nate jumped and Sophie let out a small scream. 

"Don't do that, Parker!" 

Parker gave him a confused look, then shrugged and jumped down from the ceiling beam she'd been perched on. 

"Don't you wanna know what instrument I can play?" 

Nate and Sophie exchanged a look. "Fine," Sophie said. "What instrument do you play?" 

Parker smirked. "Drums."


	49. Chapter 49

Prompt: 078. Independent  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"This is different," Parker said. 

"What?" 

"All of... this," Parker said, gesturing to the team spread out around a picnic table at the local park. 

Hardison frowned. "Still not really sure what you mean." 

"We're at the park, on July 4th. We're having burgers and hot dogs and there's going to be fireworks in a bit," Parker said. She held up her hot dog. "Hot dogs, Hardison!" 

"So?" 

"So, it's like having a real family." She pointed to the front end of their table, where Eliot had set up the barbecue grill. "Eliot gets cranky when Nate tries to grill his own burgers, but Nate tries anyway. Sophie is so relaxed, I think she's actually asleep. And I'm having fun."

Hardison grinned. "You're supposed to be having fun, you know."

"But--" 

"Just enjoy, Parker. Just enjoy."


	50. Chapter 50

Prompt: 079. Guide  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---  
Notes: Crossover with The Sentinel.

"Sentinel? What does that even mean? And what does it have to do with me?" 

Eliot nodded along. All excellent question to which he wanted an answer as well. "And what makes you so sure I'm one of these Sentinel types?" he added.

"I'm a Sentinel," the taller of the two guys said. Eliot had him pegged as former military - probably Army Ranger, going by the shoes and his stance. "And I can tell that you're a Sentinel, too. Your senses are enhanced." 

"Great," Nate said. "So Eliot has extra sharp eyesight. What does it have to do with me?" 

"Well," the shorter of the two said. He had long curly hair and very blue eyes. "Every Sentinel needs a Guide. I'm Jim's Guide. And we're thinking you're Eliot's Guide."

#

Prompt: 079. Guide  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Notes: Crossover with The Sentinel; Eliot's a Sentinel, Nate's a Guide

"Hey, Nate?" Parker whispered.

Nate looked up, eyebrows raised in question.

"What's up with Eliot?" Parker whispered. She pointed to Eliot who was standing motionlessly at the window.

"Oh, crap!"

"Is it that thing? The one Jim and Blair talked about? The one where he's so focused on one thing he forgets everything else?"

Nate cringed. Eliot hadn't turned to glare at Parker yet, so he was pretty that it was a zone-out.

He walked over to Eliot and found him staring out the window, eyes unblinking.

"It is the thing," Parker confirmed from right behind him.

Nate jumped and shot a glare at her before putting a hand on Eliot's shoulder. "Eliot? Can you hear me? I need you to focus on my voice..."

#

Prompt: 079. Guide  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Notes: Crossover with The Sentinel, Eliot is a Sentinel, Nate is his Guide

 

"...come on, Eliot. You can do it. Just focus on my voice." 

Eliot went from being in a fugue-like state to being fully alert. He blinked, realized that someone was touching him and reacted. 

"Ow! Crap! Eliot, let go, it's just me!" 

"Nate?" Eliot loosened his grip on Nate's arm. "Sorry."

"Yeah, well, it's fine. It wasn't your fault." Nate rubbed his shoulder. 

Eliot ran a hand over his face. "I hate this! I'm completely useless like this. I can't even walk down the street without being a danger to myself and others. How can I do my job like this?" 

Nate sighed. He didn't have any of the answers, but there was nothing they could do about it. "We'll figure it out."


	51. Chapter 51

Prompt: 080. Track  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Damnit!" Eliot watched the van with Parker and Nate in the back drive off. "Can you track them?" 

"Can I--? Where have you been for the last three years? Have I not managed to crack every single computer, smart phone and software out there?" Hardsion asked, hands already flying over the keyboard. "Did I not hack history last year with a bunch of smelly, disgusting things and a printer? It's the age of the geek, baby, and I am their king." 

There was a slight pause, then Eliot said over the comms: "That was a yes, wasn't it?" 

Hardison sighed. "Yes, that was a yes."


	52. Chapter 52

Prompt: 081. Lacking  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Nice place you got here," Hardison said, eyes trailing over the bare walls, the few pieces of minimalist furniture and the curtainless windows. "Uh-huh. Very... homey." 

Eliot glared at him, more out of habit than actual anger, and headed for the bedroom. It wasn't Hardison's fault that they had to stop and get another change of clothes. It also wasn't Hardison's fault that Eliot had kept his place a secret from everyone until then. They'd known he had a place, they just hadn't known where. 

"You know what this place is missing, Eliot?" Hardison called from the living room. "A few pictures, a gaming console and -- Eliot! Where's your TV, man? Is it in there? Come on, don't tell me you don't actually have a TV! Really? Eliot?!"


	53. Chapter 53

Prompt: 082. Curse  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"Okay, Eliot, turn left and take the stairs up to the first floor. Your exit's on the-- uh-oh." 

Eliot froze. He looked up at the security camera in the corner. "What?"

Hardison's nervous chuckle trickled out of the comm device in Eliot's ear. "You know how I told you I'd switched off the alarms and blocked them from seeing the actual security feed?" 

Eliot narrowed his eyes. "Yeah." 

"So it turns out they have an additional security measure that re-starts the cameras every thirty minutes," Hardison said.

Eliot scowled at the camera. "How many?" 

"Eight guys, heading directly towards you. Fifteen seconds." 

"Damnit, Hardison!"


	54. Chapter 54

Prompt: 083. Haircut  
Pairing/Rating: Nate/Eliot, G  
Warnings: ---

 

Nate had never really thought about Eliot's hair. It was brown and long and looked like it needed too much attention to be practical. 

And then Eliot had gone and gotten a haircut.

The shorter hair gave him a cleaner look. His hair was still longer than Nate's, but so much shorter than before. It made him look older. 

Nate wanted to walk up to him and smell it, then run his fingers through it until Eliot looked like he'd just fallen out of bed. 

Taking a deep breath, Nate turned away from Eliot and his new haircut and focused on the job.


	55. Chapter 55

Prompt: 084. The Morning After  
Pairing/Rating: Nate/Eliot, PG-13  
Warnings: ---

 

Eliot was already gone when Nate swam up to consciousness. That figured, Nate supposed. He hadn't really given Eliot the impression that he was invited to stay the night, even though Nate would have liked to wake up with Eliot still beside him.

Nate sighed. Sleeping with Eliot had been a dumb idea. Dumber than leading Sophie on, even though Sophie had a mean streak a mile wide and Eliot, while violent, was practically zen in comparison. Getting involved with any of the team was a dumb idea, but while he could resist Sophie, he hadn't been able to resist Eliot. 

Nate sat up. He'd have to find a way to fix it.


	56. Chapter 56

Prompt: 085. Sink  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Really?" Parker asked. "You have a _boat_?" 

Nate nodded. 

Parker tilted her head to the side. "What are you going to do if it sinks?" she asked. 

"It's not going to sink," Nate said. "It's a boat, it swims."

Parker narrowed her eyes. "But what if there are pirates and--"

Nate pinched the bridge of his nose. "There won't be any pirates, Parker!"

Parker crossed her arms. "There could be pirates," she said mulishly. "Or rocks. What if you hit rocks and the boat sinks?"

"It's not. Going to. Sink."

Parker huffed and leaned back in her seat. "Well, don't call me when you're being chased by pirates or hit a big rock and need help."

Nate sighed. "I'll remember that."


	57. Chapter 57

Prompt: 022. Dropout  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Look, man, it's not like any of us besides Nate have a college education," Hardison said. He opened his mouth to continue, but Parker was faster and took the wind right out of his sails. 

"I went to college." 

"You did?" 

Parker nodded. 

"How--?

Parker scoffed. "It's not that hard." She shrugged. "I was building up a base of fake identities in case I needed a fast getaway and while I was in character someone said I should get my GED. So I did. Turns out I do really well in tests. They were really impressed by my scores, apparently, so I eventually signed up for a few classes." 

Hardison blinked. "Did you actually graduate?" 

"I don't really know," Parker said with a shrug. "I wrote the exams, but then they moved the Rembrandt exhibit and I left town to steal a painting. So technically, I guess I dropped out."


	58. Chapter 58

Prompt: 023. Quit  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"This is insane!" Hardison said. 

"No way can we do this," Parker added. 

"We'd be crazy to try," Sophie said. 

"One of us would most likely die," Eliot growled. "No way are we taking this job." 

Nate narrowed his eyes. "Really? After everything you're afraid of a bit of a challenge?"

"Bit of a... Nate! It's crazy to even try this. We'd need six months prep time and two more people to be convincing!" 

"We can do it," Nate said confidently. "We've pulled off heists you all thought were insane. Impossible even! And look at us." Nate shook his head. "No, we can do this. We are not quitters." 

Eliot raised an eyebrow and Hardison and Parker exchanged a look. 

"I'm totally a quitter," Parker said. 

Hardison nodded. "Yup."

Eliot pointed at Parker and Hardison. "I'm with them."

Nate turned to Sophie. 

Sophie shook her head. "No way. You can steal the bloody crown jewels on your own!"


	59. Chapter 59

Prompt: 024. Aghast  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Okay, we want him to like you," Nate said. "Open the envelope and be completely shocked by what you see. He needs to think you're on his side - that you're in the same boat. His wife cheats on him, your husband cheats on you. You want him to open the conversation and--"

"Nate!" Sophie hissed. "I _have_ done this before. Now let me work!" 

Sophie wandered into the cafe and sat down at the table next to their mark's. Only a few minutes later, Parker - dressed as a courier - dropped off the envelope. Sophie played it up a bit, making her expression even more nonchalant - bored, even - before opening the envelope. It made her 'aghast face' even more striking.


	60. Chapter 60

Prompt: 016. Divorce  
Pairing/Rating: past Nate/Maggie, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Nate stared down at the divorce papers, his sight blurry. "I guess this is it," he said tonelessly.

"I'm sorry, Nate." 

Nate rubbed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. "It's fine, Maggie. It's not your fault." 

Maggie gave him a sad smile. "It's not yours either, Nate. I hope you know that." 

Nate nodded. 

"I mean it," Maggie said. "What happened to Sam--"

Nate took in a ragged breath. "I know." 

"It's just--" 

"I said: I know!" 

Maggie pursed her lips, her expression a mix of regret, annoyance and grief. 

Nate sighed. "Sorry." He reached for a pen and quickly signed his name on the dotted line.


	61. Chapter 61

Prompt: 017. Function  
Pairing/Rating: gen (could be Nate/Sophie though), PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"You're an alcoholic, Nate! Do you really think you should--" 

"Functioning," Nate interrupted her. "People always forget to add that I'm a _functioning_ alcoholic. It's not healthy, I admit that, but I am _functioning_. I don't need a babysitter and I don't need a nag in my ear while I'm trying to work." 

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "Really? That's your argument? You don't want someone nagging you while you're trying to pull a con? A bit ...kettle and pot, don't you think?"

Nate shrugged. "I am not nagging. I'm planning. I'm the mastermind of this operation; it's my job to tell you what to do." 

Sophie scoffed and crossed her arms. "If it makes you happy." She gave him a pointed look. "You're still not going in alone."


	62. Chapter 62

Prompt: 018. Lonesome  
Pairing/Rating: Parker/Hardison, G  
Warnings: ---

 

Parker frowned. There was a dying cat outside her house. Or possibly a raccoon with a sore throat. She sighed. She'd have to go and chase it away or she'd never get any sleep.

"Are you lonesooooome tonight?" 

"Oh my god," Parker said.

Hardison grinned and hit a button on his phone and a music track started playing. "Did you miss meeeeeee tonight?" he warbled.

"Oh my god," Parker repeated. "Please stop." 

Hardison, in the middle of his next line already, closed his mouth with a snap. 

"What are you doing?"

Hardison opened his mouth, then closed it again. He held up his phone which was still playing soft music. "I'm serenading you?" 

"Why?!"

"...because it's romantic?"

"No." Parker shook her head. "No more music, okay? Next time you want to be romantic, take me to see the XGuard security system at the Egyptian Art museum."


	63. Chapter 63

Prompt: 025. Station  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Okay, Hardison, Eliot, you two head on over to the station--" 

"But I'm usually the cop!" Parker interrupted. "Hardison and I, we're Thomas and Hagen. It's like Starsky and Hutch. Cagney and Lacey." 

Hardison, who had been nodding along with the Starsky and Hutch comparison, violently shook his head when Parker moved on to Cagney and Lacey. Parker elbowed him.

"What she means is, we're a team," Hardison said, rubbing his ribs.

Nate shook his head. "No. Parker, I need you to do something else. Hardison, Eliot, the station. Cheap suits, but Eliot? Lose the tie." He took off his watch. "Wear this." 

"So I'm the crooked cop then?" 

"Crooked FBI Agent, but yeah." 

"Awesome." Eliot put on Nate's watch. "Hey, did you know that technically you still own my car? From that job in Massachusetts. I think I'll hold on to this watch until the paperwork's back in order..." He gave a wave, the watch flashing at his wrist, and left. 

Nate stared after him "Hey! That's my--Eliot!"


	64. Chapter 64

Prompt: 026. Nervous  
Pairing/Rating:   
Warnings: ---

 

"Sophie: status," Nate said over the comms.

"It's working," Sophie replied, using the reflection in the shopping window to look at their mark across the street. "He's nervous, almost paranoid. A few more mysterious 'coincidences' like these, and he'll be hiding under the bed." 

"Good, good." Nate looked at his watch. "Parker, you're up. Make sure he doesn't see you." 

"Pfft!" Parker replied. "Half the time you guys don't see me and you're actually trying. He won't know what hit him." 

"That's the plan." Nate shrugged into his jacket and headed for the door. "Hardison, you're next. Maybe sure you sell it or he won't bite once I'm offering him Wells Consulting as his salvation."


	65. Chapter 65

Prompt: 027. Eliminate  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Nate smiled at their mark. "The result should be up any moment. Computers, eh? I don't even know why I keep the IT guy around the office - it takes ages to run this thing," he said. 

"Oh, excuse me? Was that a dig at my skills, Nate? Because you can try and find one piece of information in a database with 3 million data sets yourself if you want. I'm cool with that," Hardison said. 

"Well, you can eliminate everyone over the age of 28. That should help some," Sophie said over the comms. 

"Thank you, Miss Obvious. I already tried that. How did you think I ended up with 3 million instead of 13 million data sets?" Hardison said testily. "You know, this sort of thing wouldn't happen if you could stick to your own damn plans once in a while, Nate." 

"Any time now," Nate said. 

Hardison hit enter and the info appeared on Nate's screen. "Next time we're in Florida, you're taking me to Disneyworld as a thank you, Nate!"


	66. Chapter 66

Prompt: 021. Labor  
Pairing/Rating: Nate/Sophie, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"I'm going to kill him!" Sophie huffed out between gasps. 

"He'll be back in an hour," Eliot said, helping Sophie down the front steps and into the car.

"Plus, you told him it was fine," Parker pointed out. 

"I wasn't in labor then! And I didn't tell him it was fine to forget his bloody phone!" Sophie growled. She gasped and let out a pained moan, clutching her round stomach.

Eliot, eyes wide, started the car and backed out of the drive. "Parker--"

"Call Hardison, make him find Nate and bring him to the hospital?" Parker interrupted.

"You got it."

#

Prompt: 028. Birth  
Pairing/Rating: implied Nate/Sophie, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Wow, you look terrible."

After a stunned second of silence, Sophie chuckled. "Thank you, Parker. I feel somewhat terrible, too." 

"Did it hurt a lot?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Sophie said. 

Parker winced in sympathy. 

"But," Sophie added, "they've got nice drugs that make all the pain go away. The downside is that you feel absolutely exhausted after you're done." 

Parker reached out and patted Sophie's arm. Sophie felt rather proud - ten years ago, Parker probably wouldn't have realized there was a need to comfort Sophie at all.

"Where are the boys?" 

"Oh, Nate's showing off the baby. They've got their noses pressed to the glass and coo at every move she makes." 

Sophie laughed. 

"But I wanted to see you first," Parker said. "You're my best friend; her I don't even know yet." 

Sophie leaned back against her pillow and smiled. It was nice to know that underneath all the progress she'd made over the years, Parker was still Parker.


	67. Chapter 67

Prompt: 029. Medicated  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Notes: Set right after The 12 Step Job.

 

Eliot didn't like the way Parker smiled while she was on these pills the hospital gave her. It just wasn't her. 

To be honest, the pills didn't do much to change Parker. She already behaved like a little kid hyped up on sugar on most days anyway. All the pills did was make her a little more trusting. Less suspicious of people. It wasn't a good thing in Eliot's book. Trust made you vulnerable. None of them trusted easily. They trusted Nate because he was too honest to screw them over and they were starting to trust each other more and more, but this? This wasn't safe. Not for Parker, and not for the rest of them. Eliot didn't like it one bit.


	68. Chapter 68

Prompt: 030. Poor  
Pairing/Rating: Hardison/Parker, G  
Warnings: ---

 

One of the reasons why Parker liked money more than anything was because she didn't want to be like her parents. Foster parents. Whatever. The people who raised her until she ran away. They'd constantly complained about money. Field trip? No, costs too much money. Birthday cake? Costs money. New pair of jeans? Cost money. All she ever heard was that she cost too much, that she wasn't worth it.

Ever since the thing with Hardison had turned more serious and they'd actually, seriously thought about children, Parker knew she'd be different. They'd be different. She would never, ever tell her child that it wasn't worth spending money on.


	69. Chapter 69

Prompt: 034. Cranky  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG-13  
Notes: Set right before The Office Job.

 

"--because you ate my damn sandwich!" Eliot shouted. 

"Whoa," Parker said, closing the door behind her. "Someone's cranky," she singsonged, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. She didn't want to miss anything if Eliot was going to punch Hardison - and right now it looked like he might.

"No, Parker, I'm not cranky," Eliot corrected. "I'm pissed off because Hadison took the sandwich I made myself for lunch and ate it!" 

"Without asking?" Parker asked. Eliot was particular about that. He shared his things - even food, which Parker categorically didn't if she didn't have to - but only if you asked nicely. 

"Without asking," Eliot confirmed. 

"Ooh." Parker turned to Hardison. "You're in trouble now." 

"I--I didn't eat his sandwich!" Hardison protested. 

Parker and Eliot exchanged a look. Out of all five of them, Hardison was by far the worst liar.

The door opened and Nate and Sophie came in. They headed over to the wall of screens. "Well," Nate asked. "What are you waiting for? We have a job!" 

With one last glare at Hardison, Eliot stalked off.


	70. Chapter 70

Prompt: 035. Breakdown  
Pairing/Rating: gen, G  
Warnings: ---

 

"Okay, break it down," Nate said. 

Hardison pointed his remote at the wall of screen and they all flickered to life, showing images of their mark, a floor plan of his office, newspaper articles, police reports and invoices. "Roger Wilson, CEO of Pro-Guard Security. He's working with some of his clients to scam millions of dollars using his own security systems and faked break-ins. The clients get the insurance payout once they prove they've taken security measures. What the insurance companies don't know is that Wilson's R&D team build in a backdoor that makes breaking into one of these babies easy as pie if you have the right code."

"Yes," Nate said. "Our client Tim Lowell worked for XGuard Security. He overheard Wilson and the head of R&D talk about their last job. He tried to call the police, go public, but Wilson twisted it so it looks like he's just an angry ex-employee trying to get back at him."

"It doesn't help that Lowell has no proof," Sophie added. 

"That's right." Nate drummed his fingers on the table, nodding to himself. "Yes. Okay, here's what we're going to do..."


	71. Chapter 71

Prompt: 048. Drown  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG-13  
Warnings: ---

 

After Sam died, Nate was drowning in guilt. Maybe he could have done something. Noticed sooner that something was wrong. Put more pressure on IYS and Blackpoole to help Sam. Found more specialists to take a look at him. Every single accusation he could think of, Nate made against himself. And even if Maggie didn't say anything, Nate could see it in her eyes that she blamed him, too.

After Sam's death, after the divorce, Nate fell into a pit of despair and guilt. And instead of drowning in pain and guilt alone, he liberally laced it with alcohol, washing away the bitter taste of guilt with the even more bitter taste of vodka.


	72. Chapter 72

Prompt: 050. Stomach  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Parker let out a pathetic moan.

"It's your own fault," Eliot said unaffectedly.

Parker whimpered.

"Seriously, Parker. You shouldn't have had that last piece of pie." Eliot paused and reconsidered. "In fact, you shouldn't have had the last _three_ pieces of pie."

"But it was chocolate raspberry pie," Parker said. "And it was all mine. I had to eat it!

Eliot raised his eyebrows. "That's not actually how it works, Parker."

Parker whimpered again. "I feel awful."

"You only have yourself to blame," Eliot said. "You're the one who ate almost the whole pie."

"Yeah." The ghost of a smile appeared on Parker's face. "Still, best birthday ever."


	73. Chapter 73

Prompt: 094. Vomit  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

Hardison woke up with a groan. His head was throbbing, his eyes were dry and his mouth tasted like vomit. He was leaning against the wall with his head at an uncomfortable angle that means moving his head hurt like hell. The pain radiated out down his neck and spread over his shoulders, too. 

He tried to slide down or roll over, but his arm wouldn't move. Carefully, he opened his eyes. He was in a small room - not bigger than most elevators - without windows. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling. He was also cuffed to the radiator next to the thin mattress his captor's had tossed onto the floor before throwing him into the room.

Hardison blinked and the whole world tilted sideways. His team had better come and get him quickly!


	74. Chapter 74

Prompt: 095. Bleeding  
Pairing/Rating: gen, PG  
Warnings: ---

 

"Eliot, you're bleeding!" Parker exclaimed.

Eliot waved her off. "It's fine. Let's get out of here." 

"But--" Parker broke off, looking worried. "The blood!"

"It's fine," Eliot repeated. "Really. I'm not dying." 

"Are you sure?" 

Eliot nodded. "I am. If I was bleeding to death, you'd know." 

"Promise?"

"Promise." Eliot shifted his hand, feeling the blood well up between his fingers. "Now can we go?"

"Sure." Parker lifted one of his arms over her shoulders. "Well, come on!" 

Eliot didn't have the heart to tell her that it was more uncomfortable to walk with his arm raised like that than it would have been to shuffle along like a zombie until they reached the car.


End file.
